


Watching You From the Flames

by Pugsnprincesses



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: AU, M/M, and lio is totally done with everything, galo is a huge movie nerd, movie theater AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:40:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22133419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pugsnprincesses/pseuds/Pugsnprincesses
Summary: Galo is in love with films and discovers a new local theater, ft. Lio as a tired employee who wants nothing to do with this silly man.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 12
Kudos: 96





	1. Reel

**Author's Note:**

> Bless u for coming,,, I had this idea at a movie theater that was actually like this and prepare for a lot of cuteness to ensue, even after this chapter I have a lot more ideas for some good antics and....whatnot~ I will be adding tags as needed!

Being ashamed of oneself is not quite a concept Galo Thymos had been able to grasp before. Tall frame filled to the brim with unabashed self confidence and adoration for the things he loved. It was no secret that he constantly gushes about matoi and firefighters, but he has a passion for other subjects as well, namely a few film franchises. Not many (if any) members of his team could keep up with the racket he made about the latest sci-fi or fantasy movies. It was easy for Lucia to catch his wavelength when it came to robots, but yet had he been able to meet anyone who would even pretend to listen to his theories about "what this director used in this movie to create this kind of message", let alone accompany him to any of the showings. Aina had tried on a few occasions, but she quickly grew creeped out some of the imagery or bored of the long "artistic" shots.

It wasn't often the case that Galo found himself venturing outside of his local movie theater, but he'd seen a poster stapled to a telephone pole, tempting him with bright letters that promised a new, exciting, upcoming film maker premiering his newest project at a small theater, not too far from his residence. Local films always piqued his interest, plus you never know the connections you might make or the people you may meet. So he marked his calendar for the date and waited for the night eagerly. 

The theater was nestled neatly in the middle of a strip mall, surrounded with various shops that didn’t look like they received much business. Galo took notice of the generic-looking storefronts; a hair salon, a pet store, a home furnishing store, and what looked like a weird themed restaurant. The smell of old books and popcorn wafted like hot air around Galo as he stepped into the theater, surprised by the size of the interior. He hadn’t expected there to be a bar in half of the tiny space, plus four theaters. It was a shame he hadn’t stopped in sooner, the concept of a movie theater and bar seemed perfect. 

After purchasing his tickets, Galo ventured to the bar to place an order. Just a simple beer and whichever of their burgers had the most toppings. The bartender let Galo know that a server would bring in his order, so he made his way into the theater. Weird, he thought. Wouldn’t servers in a movie theater disturb the movie? Anyways, the room was smaller than average, but that was to be expected of an independent theater. The back left corner was Galo’s usual spot, he liked to be able to see the entire screen at once and only have potential distractions in front of him, not behind.

There were only four other audience members by the time the previews started, leading Galo to believe the movie was either going to be extremely bad, or somehow amazing. An audible thud turned Galo’s head to the large side door opening, and judging by the food in his hands, it was the server. A flash of violet peeked beneath verdant bangs, puffed gently out from his black baseball cap with the white logo of the theater. Galo noted the way his ponytail bristled down his back, it looked as if it had the texture of a sleek cat. Being in the back, Galo was the last to be served. He called out to the server, waving his arms as the boy gazed through narrow eyes in the dim theater. Galo snickered as his fingertips skimmed the bottom of the projector, casting shadowy bumps across the screen. 

“What’s so funny?” The boy asked as he stopped in front of Galo, his own head now barely casting its own shadow on the screen. Galo took this opportunity to throw up a peace sign, his arm still raised high.

“Now you’re a bunny!” Blonde lashes fluttered as the servers eyes narrowed, obviously not finding Galo’s antics humorous. In response, he presented the burger and beer to Galo’s chest instead of the tray next to his seat, causing Galo to drop his hands to hold on, half afraid the server would let the contents drop onto his lap if he didn’t. The boy with minty hair bent down, eye level with Galo, their hands briefly coming into contact as Galo grasped the food. 

“I’ve got two hours of my shift left. And I’ve used up all of my patience dealing with my manager so you better keep your hands to yourself.” Galo swore he saw a fire sparking in this boys eyes, burning in the hazy theater darkness. Unable to hold his gaze, Galo glanced at the slender hands that were pulling away from his own before dusting themselves off on the dark jeans that became Galo’s new line of sight after the server straightened himself out and turned on his heels to leave.

“Someone’s grumpy..” Galo mused to himself, apparently a little too loud as the boy’s shoulders stiffened. Galo imagined his fluffy hair bristling on end like a cats as he turned towards the door to leave, letting the door clatter loudly on the way out. 

The interaction hadn’t upset Galo as it might others, in fact the way the servers slender nose seemed to turn up slightly as he looked down at Galo was endearing and almost cute. He knew better than to let other people's bad attitudes get in the way of his evening, especially as the screen faded to black in preparation for the movie, clearing Galo’s mind of any other thoughts.   
…  
As the credits hit, Galo’s eyes were left glittering up at the screen, his fries neglected after he’d become completely enamoured with the cinematography and special effects. He barely noticed the other three bodies ambling out of the theater, obviously disenchanted and uninterested in the credits. Galo took note of some of the names, recognizing a few local names in the crew. The soft music numbed his ears, not taking any notice of the furious scraping of a broom across the carpet, which to anyone else would be a painfully obvious sign to leave the theater now. Even as the projector sputtered to a halt, Galo sat to let his mind soak up and process what he’d just seen. 

“Hey bunny ears I hope you realize I have to clean up this whole theater by myself.” The voice snapped Galo back into reality as violet half moons burned into his skin, but he was impervious to the heat. 

“Wow that was famazing!” Galo finally stood, balling his hands into fists out of excitement. 

“That’s not even a word. And is definitely not a word I would use to describe… that.” Galo was used to this treatment, most people didn’t agree with his opinion about movies.

“But you have to admit that director was amazing! The way the shots were laid-” his comment was cut short as the server approached him, although this time Galo stood above the boy’s eye level.

“No, he’s an asshole. Now leave, unless you want to spend the night in one of these recliners.” Galo noticed his lips quiver, a dusty pink in the almost pitch darkness. Realizing Galo was a lot taller than he thought, the green haired boy took a step back and leaned against his broom.

“...Or if you want to sweep this nightmare by yourself, but I’m locking up now so you better choose quickly.” The server walked back towards the door, Galo barely processing his moves before rushing after him.

“Wait! I’m leaving now!” With a huff, he almost collided with the smaller boy, stopping short in the door frame, pulling cash from his pocket and waving it furiously in front of him.

“And here this is for you,” he breathed, almost forgetting to tip his server. A thin hand reached out for his wrist steadying his flailing arm, other hand plucking the cash from his grasp. With bad timing and bad spatial awareness, the heavy door that the two had just exited from came to a close and bumped Galo from behind, sending him into the other boy and nearly toppling him to the ground, meanwhile the grip on his wrist tightened out of shock. 

“Why the hell did you stop in the door frame?” His bangs puffed around his face, Galo pictured him bristling again.

“Why did you stop right in front of it?” Galo follows up with, fully aware he was the one at fault. A few beats pass as the other boy realizes he’s still grasping Galo’s wrist and he drops it with a flourish, stuffing the cash into his pocket.

“Thanks-”

“Sorry-” they both start in the same moment, the only patience left seeping out of the boy and he sighs, heading to the front door to let Galo out.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Galo smiles at this, not sure if it’s supposed to be funny or not, but he lets it go and exits with a wave, walking backwards to watch his expression as he responds.

“See you again soon!” Fully intending on visiting again, but also poking one last jab at the poor server, a smile lingering on his lips for a few moments longer than he thought should have been appropriate as the green haired boy quickly shoves the door shut with narrowed eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo is a regular but they still don’t know each other’s names, but more antics lead to them discovering more about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaa whoops this took me longer than expected but I have a better developed plot so look forward to more cute things~

As the weeks go by, Galo finds himself frequenting the newly discovered movie theater more often than his usual hangout. “Promepolis Movie Theater” wasn’t a particularly noteworthy name for a theater, and it didn’t have too many noteworthy qualities about it other than the food and drink available during the movie. However, featuring local filmmakers was appealing to Galo, and he wouldn’t care to admit it, but getting to tease the easily flustered server was on his list of things he looked forward to. 

Somehow through their brief interactions, Galo still hadn’t learned the green haired boy’s name. It wasn’t until interacting with one of the other workers he was able to pick it up.

As the door to the theater clinks open, he sees the worker at the front desk with red and black hair smirk to himself. Galo has met this boy once or twice before, he’s the one who seems to be a little louder than the other workers and wears a studded jacket over his uniform shirt. 

“Hey fireman, you’re the one Lio talks about, here to see a movie? Or something else?” As Galo approaches the counter, he tilts his head slightly and a little mess of bangs fall around his eyes. 

“Lio? I take it you’ve heard of me then! I am a pretty well known fireman around here!” He points a thumb towards his nose with a wide grin, his forearm coming to rest on the counter.

“Lio! You know, the boy here who has hair like this,” he points his index fingers beneath his ears to indicate the green tufts of hair that fall around the servers cheeks like a cat's tail. “Plus you’re wearin’ a burning rescue t shirt, it’s a little hard to not notice,” the boy brings his finger to point at the logo across Galo’s chest, almost making contact. Finally making the connection, Galo opens his mouth in a smile.

“Ahh! So that’s his name. What does he say about me?” He asks. As the front desk worker begins to let out a breath in response, another voice speaks up as a body slides its way behind the counter, laying a slender hand onto his shoulder. 

“Gueira,” the voice is hushed but Galo can hear the malice swimming underneath the surface. “Isn’t it the end of your shift now?” Galo realizes the voice belongs to the subject of their conversation, Lio. His hair is glowing iridescent green with soft gradients of blue and pink from the dim fluorescent movie theater lighting. With nowhere to run and a hand gripped firmly around his shoulder, the first boy, Gueira if Galo heard correctly, tried to shy away from him, but to no avail. 

“Yea boss… but, we got a customer right now so I was just-“ he tries to turn the conversation around before he’s cut off.

“I’ll handle this one, thanks very much. Now hand me the keys.” There was an awkward air between the two, as if Galo was missing something, even though they were talking about him. 

“No need to worry!” He tries to break the tension. “I don’t mind we were just talking about you. I guess I never learned your name, but he told me it was Leo!”  _ Fitting, he does look like a cat…  _ Galo thought as he brings his arms off the counter, prompted by the violet glare he received from said cat. Gueira fishes through his pockets before tossing the keys up playfully, slightly in the direction of the counter so Lio had to slightly lean towards Galo to catch them.

“That’s right boss, we were just talkin’ about you.” He pokes at Lio’s inflated irritation once more before he grins and walks back around the counter towards the door. He didn’t get off without a signature glare of his own, Lio deciding it wasn’t worth it to try and spit something back. “Thanks for covering tonight!” Are his last words before exiting.

“It’s kinda funny that your name is Leo because you know your hair really reminds me of a cat-“ 

“L-I-O. Lio. I have nothing to do with cats nor do I look like one.” His response was surprising to Galo, although he should have expected another charged reaction. He was used to his sharp tongue by now, but it seemed that this was somewhat of a flustered defense, Galo guessed he didn’t take lightly to being compared to cute things. This was really a shame however, he could almost picture Lio with soft fluffy ears turned down defensively and it was rather adorable. 

“Ah okay! Got it, nothin’ to do with cats…” Galo’s brows quirked as his sentence was definitely not believable in the slightest. In attempt to save himself from getting clawed, he finally brought up what he’d been here in the first place for.

“Right, uh, I wanted one ticket for The Angels and Men 5.” Lio rolled his eyes, but punched the buttons on the computer and started printing the ticket. 

“Really? Those movies really suck. Plus it doesn’t even start for thirty minutes, why would you show up so early. Everyone knows the previews bump the starting time ten minutes anyways.” Galo was taken aback, how could anyone hate those movies?

“Are you kidding?!” His hands are passionately back on the counter, palms down and fingers spread wide. “These movies are awesome! The action scenes are incredible for one, but oh man the character development they’ve been putting Damien through is heart wrenching. Plus all the actors for the main platoon are so talented!” Throughout his speech Lio continued printing the ticket, unamused. 

“Hm. I didn’t really watch past thirty minutes of the first one, it was so boring.” Galo’s hands flew to his face and cupped his cheeks in disbelief.

“Whaaa?? So you didn’t even get to the part where Cecelia dies??” 

“Nope,” Lio leans across the counter, holding the ticket inches from Galo’s face as he places his other hand on his hip. As Galo fumbles for his wallet in exchange, he shakes his head.

“You never even gave it a chance…” he exchanges his cash for the ticket and continues. “Keep the change, it’s for you. Hey,” he gives Lio a quizzical look and Lio responds with a worried expression. “Wanna watch them at my house? I have the first four all on DVD and I have a huge TV! It’s HD! It’s the only way to make sure you’re watching those action scenes the best way~” Galo offers a wide smile, hoping he will accept the offer. Getting to show people his favorite movies is one of the best feelings and his usual crew usually falls asleep or gets distracted if they try and watch movies with him. 

“Your house?” Lio scoffs, stuffing the cash into the till and the left overs from Galo into his pocket. “How creepy, I don’t even know  _ your  _ name. Plus you never answered my previous question about being here so early.” He resumed his typical arms folded and weight shifted to one side pose. “Was it your goal to come here early to creep on me and ask me out? Is that what you were talking about with Gueira?” Galo couldn’t tell how sarcastic he was being at the moment, but that aspect never even crossed his mind. Like yea the slender boy was pretty cute and fun to tease, but asking him out? Now he felt a little flustered and tried to push that thought away so he could deal with it another time, a time when he wasn’t standing right in front of the boy in subject. 

“Wha!? No… I just like to show people good movies n’ stuff.” He tried to overcorrect his statement as he continued talking, trying to emphasize that asking Lio out wasn’t his intention. “And I got here early so that I could get some food and stuff before the movie because I feel like eating during is a little distracting and I like paying attention to the movies. We were just talking about you because he said that  _ you  _ talk about me a lot and it surprised me because yea I talk about you to all of my friends but that’s just because I think it’s pretty cute how grumpy you always are, like how can it be so adorable to be grumpy, but what reason would you talk about  _ me  _ unless it’s how grumpy I make  _ you,  _ which is even cuter if you think about it because somehow I make you grumpy even if I’m not there-“ This was as deep as Lio was going to let Galo dig himself into a hole and he responded in a way that definitely wouldn’t convince anyone that he didn’t look just like a cat bristling its fur.

“Stop calling me cute! And you’re doing a pretty bad job of convincing me you didn’t come here just to ask me out. I only talk about you because, yea, you come in like every Thursday and never shut up about shitty movies. Plus you’re always so  _ damn  _ happy how the hell can someone be so annoyingly happy all the time?” Galo could tell their conversation was getting to him and he could see past the tougher front of his posture and tone of voice as Lio’s face began flushing. 

“Um and my name is Galo,” he threw out, no longer sure how to answer Lio and his accusations. An awkward beat passed between the two of them as both waited for the other to say something first. Finally Lio seemed to gain his composure again and he finally broke the silence between them. 

“Well,  _ Galo,  _ what do you want from the bar then? I’m the only one working tonight. Gueira left because he’s going to a concert with our only other worker so it’s just me running both counters.” He looked perturbed to be in this situation, but at least it was a safe out to their previous conversation. Galo had almost forgotten why he was here in the first place. 

“Just the usual, burger with everything and a beer!” 

“Gotcha, since there’s still twenty minutes before the movie you can just grab your seat and I’ll bring it out in a minute.” Lio started making his way to the bar, surprised as Galo followed behind instead of heading in the direction of the theater. 

“Nah I can sit at the bar counter and keep you company! It must suck to have to run a whole theater and bar by yourself. How come there’s only three employees? That seems like a small staff, even for a theater this small.” A new emotion flickered across Lio’s face at this question.

“Yea it sucks. Gueira and Meis never get nice nights out together so I volunteered to work it myself since Thursdays are…  _ usually _ dead” he shoots a sharp glance at Galo as he crosses behind the other counter, as if it was his fault that Lio was being overworked. “Our manager doesn’t allow it but he’s on vacation right now so I don’t care what that bastard says.” As Lio begins Galo’s order, Galo can tell that he was dancing around his original question.

“Damn, can’t he just hire more people or somethin? And why would you guys stay here if it’s sucks that bad? You don’t even seem to like movies,” Galo lets out a playful laugh. A loud clang comes from Lio as his movements become stiff and he tries to take a deep breath. 

“Yeah no shit, movies are basically a waste of time.” His voice is laced with quiet but poignant thorns. Galo is hit with a twinge of disappointment hearing the overflowing negativity and dread in his voice and realized he probably shouldn’t be joking about this any longer. Since he wasn’t getting too far with the conversation, he decided to lead it in a more positive direction, making small talk about himself and his duties as a firefighter as Lio made his burger and occasionally offered a nod or a quiet “Hmm”.

Galo decided it was a good idea not to pester the mint haired boy any longer that night, as taking on his job alone seemed like a bummer, even if there were only a few other customers the rest of the night. 

The movie turned out as he expected, another masterpiece and he knew as soon as he got home the Blu-ray would be preordered for his collection. Although for some reason he found it hard to concentrate at some moments, he would briefly worry about how Lio was handling his shift. Occasionally he wondered how the texture of his hair would feel between his fingers, but he pushed those thoughts away because duh they would feel like really soft cat fur and oh god wait he was thinking about it again as he exited the theater. The boy and his soft hair in question was busy serving a couple at the bar and a small line had formed at the ticket counter. Galo wondered if it was worth approaching him again or if it would be too distracting to his work. Lio’s eyes met Galo’s own from across the two rooms and Lio’s tired eyes narrow with a look of  _ don’t you dare talk to me again I had to talk to you for thirty whole minutes and I’m really busy right now-  _ so Galo decides against it and instead opts for a ridiculous toothy grin and a friendly wave. Galo thinks he sees Lio’s expression soften for a moment before he nearly over pours a drink and their gaze breaks. 

Galo exits the theater and takes a breath of the dark blue scent of the evening, forever in love with the feeling of walking out of a spectacular movie and into the fresh night. What better feeling is there than seemingly being whisked away from real life into a beautiful picture of another reality, only to return into your own reality with a new dusk waiting for you. This is what troubled Galo about Lio, how could he hate movies? The rest of the night, Galo tries to wrap his head around why and how Lio could feel that way, and he wants to know more about that boy with soft hair and deep eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! As always, con crit and feedback would be SO LOVED <3


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo starts to find out more about this stubborn fluffy-haired boy, but there are still so many things he wants to know

Even though it’s only a Thursday night, the theater is unusually busy. Galo can tell by the parking lot, it’s almost overflowing into the hair salon parking. As he wonders why it could be so busy, a tall man with blonde hair pushes open both doors with a force that startles Galo. In the instant before he realizes he’s almost hit Galo, he thinks he sees a look of malice. Immediately his expression turns kind and he speaks softly.

“My apologies, I didn’t realize you were on the other side. Enjoy your movie,” he slides past Galo, apparently still in a hurry, but he gives a small wave and continues on. Galo thinks nothing of this, making his way into the theater. There is an unusually long line at the bar, as no one is at the counter. Was someone working alone again? The ticket counter has only two groups waiting and the employee with long black hair, Meis if he remembers correctly, looks hurried as he prints tickets for the customers. He waits for a moment until it’s his turn and he makes eye contact with the distressed employee. 

“Thank god it’s you, can you hold on a moment? I have to make a phone call.” There’s no one behind Galo, so he feels no hurry, and nods, still confused at the situation. Meis looks relieved and turns around, hastily grabbing his phone out and taking a few steps away. Galo tires not to eavesdrop, but the other boys low rumbling voice is hard to tune out.

“Gueira, yea, um can you cover Lio’s shift tonight? Like now? For some reason they closed the theater on 3rd for renovation and there’s like a million people here and Lio-“ he glances towards the bathroom and back down to his black painted nails he’s been staring at while on the phone. “Yeah. He was here and just left.” A few more seconds passed and Galo was occupying himself with the square patterns on the ceiling, awkwardly overhearing the conversation. “Thanks love.” His arms drop to his sides as he slides the phone back into this pocket and takes a deep breath. “Sorry, what movie are you seeing tonight?” Galo’s attention is back on Meis now as he reaches for his wallet. 

“Uh, just one ticket for Shells please.” An uncomfortable silence passes as commands are pressed into the computer. Galo tries to engage in small talk to lighten the tension. “Sorry it’s so busy tonight. Is.. is everything ok?” He’s worried about Lio, had something happened? The tickets print and Meis responds,

“Don’t worry about it, it happens sometimes. Yea. It’s fine.” The dismissive tone in his voice is unconvincing. He hands him the money and by now all the workers know to keep the change. Meis glances behind Galo, checking to see if there was anyone else waiting. Galo followed his gaze, concluding he was the last one to enter, as there weren’t any other new customers. “I’ll be right back.” Meis offers before he removes the uniform cap from his head and sets it on the counter next to Galo’s tickets. Galo could tell he was heading towards the bathroom and he wondered if that’s where Lio was. 

Galo slid the ticket off the counter and gently rubs his thumb over the rough edge of the paper, off put by Meis’s behavior. He couldn’t help from worrying, not knowing if someone was in danger was one of his least favorite situations. Shifting his gaze from the theater to the bar, he wondered if it was worth it to get in line for food, knowing there was a lot of people and the staff was stressed. Plus the people waiting in line looked perturbed, likely due to the lack of service, and he didn’t particularly want to be in a room full of patrons in a bad mood. 

Finally deciding it would just be a good idea to go into the theater early, he took a couple steps towards the bathrooms and theater, stopping as he saw the bathroom door swing open. Meis steps out, followed by Lio, his usual fluffy hair sticking up in some places, likely due in part from removing his hat, which was clutched between his hands stiffly. As he notices Galo, he stops too. It tugs at Galo’s heart as he watches Lio gazing absentmindedly in front of him, eyes puffed and a little red, then meeting Galo’s own eyes and attempting to look smug.

“Oh yea, it’s Thursday,” he says. “Well lucky for you, I’m taking the rest of today off so you don’t have to deal with me today.” The usual snarky tone of his voice is deflated and his gaze drops. This Lio is so different than Galo is used to and it catches him completely off guard. 

“I feel like I should be the one sayin that,” Galo responds, his voice gentle. Meis gives Lio a worried look.

“You can go back to work, I’ll be fine. Thanks for calling Gueira.” For once Lio sounds sincere and while it’s sweet, Galo is still in shock from Lio’s demeanor. He wants to ask what happened, and another part of him wants to hold him close, but he barely knows Lio. Although he does know this boy enough that if he were to try either of those actions, he would receive consequences later. Meis nods and hurries off towards the bar to start on orders, his concern for Lio still evident in his movement. 

A beat passes between the two of them, but it’s different than the silence has been before. Usually it felt as if Galo’s silence was pressed against the looming wall that is Lio’s anger and annoyance, but now he feels as if he pressed against that wall it would collapse beneath his weight. It’s a little awkward, he feels the need to say something comforting, but can’t think of a single word. 

“I’m, um, going to go home now. Have fun watching whatever dumb movie you’re gonna see.” Galo still so badly wants to help so he speaks up as Lio begins to slink away.

“Uhh wait…” He’s pretty lost for words, but Lio listens and stops, he’s barely footsteps away from Galo and he still doesn’t know what to say. Maybe he’d know what to say later?

“Here let me put my number in your phone?” This sounds pretty dumb coming out of his mouth.

“Yea so you can bug me on my days off too?” Galo figures that would be the answer, but he’s relieved to hear a little of normal Lio. To his surprise, Lio pulls out his phone. “Well I still get to decide when I text you so if it makes you feel better,” he hands his phone to Galo. The case is mint green with a black pattern, surprisingly cute for someone who insists on not being associated with cute things. “I figured you missed me on other days of the week, but this is a little desperate isn’t it?” Even though Galo could see his expression was mostly empty, he was grateful that he sounded a little better.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Galo huffs indignantly as he types his number into Lio’s phone. Instinctively he pushes the home button before realizing that it wasn’t his phone. Before he pushed the off button, he caught a glance of Lio’s home screen. It has four people in silly poses, definitely Lio, Gueira, and Meis, but there’s a girl next to Lio with wild red hair. He suddenly feels as if he overstepped his boundaries so he offers the phone back to Lio. 

“Mm nothin’.” He stuffs the phone back into his pocket and huffs. “Alright, anything else?” Galo can tell this time that he’s equal parts serious and sarcastic, which is another good sign. Hoping it will catch on, he gives his widest smile to Lio.

“Nah, go have a good night at home! I’ll see you next Thursday!” At the sight of his smile, Lio immediately turns his gaze away and Galo isn’t sure why. Maybe it was too contagious? 

“Don’t remind me,” Lio shoots back before giving one last glance to Galo and he feels another pang of sadness at those swollen violet eyes. “See ya,” and with that he makes his way out of the building’s double doors and Galo is left with a chilling feeling.

The movies were becoming increasingly more difficult to pay attention to as Galo found himself thinking too much about the server with fluffy green hair. Tonight he wonders what had happened and why had Lio been crying. He flips through countless things he could have said or done to comfort Lio, but he still can’t think of what. He also thinks of who that girl in the photo is and the possibility of her being Lio’s girlfriend keeps floating to the front of his mind. 

Soon the movie is over and Galo wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what happened. His mind had been too occupied with scattered thoughts. As he leaves, he’s grateful to see the other two workers were handling things relatively well now. They don’t notice him leaving, but Galo hopes that they will continue through the rest of the night okay. 

The cool air outside settles around his face and he realizes how hot his cheeks have been. His hands are even colder as he presses them to his face. Galo draws his keys and phone out of his pocket before he unlocks his pickup truck and climbs inside. Before turning the keys in the ignition, he boots up his phone since it was off during the movie. He smiles to himself as the screen lights up and he sees a text.

: Why did you set your name as BURNING FIREFIGHTER SOUL GALO THYMOS ! <3   
: There now it’s set as the smiling idiot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haaaa thank you for reading !! Chat with me on Twitter @karupuri ! Concrit always welcome~


	4. Turning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lio begins sneaking peeks at the movies Galo is watching and they have many disagreements about the content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa sorry there’s been a long pause !!! But I’m back !!! Thank you guys for sticking through <3 I’m super excited about this chapter !

A couple weeks pass as Galo receives occasional texts from Lio, usually in relation to things they briefly talked about before. A lot of Galo’s texts are left on read, though he’s been told by Aina before that sending one word as a response is annoying, but he isn’t one for expressing himself over text so much as in real life. Sometimes Galo would send an obnoxious joke or ramble on too much about a movie, granting him another read receipt from the fluffy-haired boy. This was fine, since Lio would randomly send Galo little pictures or notes of things that reminded him of Galo; new movie ads (but usually under the guise of how terrible it looks and what kind of people he will have to deal with when it hits his theater), news articles he found that talk about a rescue mission involving Galo, or any other miscellaneous thing Lio saw fit to send to the lively firefighter. 

Although the two have been conversing a lot more than previously, they never spoke about the evening where Lio had left early. In fact, the next time they speak it is as if Lio hadn’t skipped a beat, the usual grumpiness ensues and their typical banter amuses Lio’s coworkers.

Something new, however, starts as the theater is facing a particularly slow night and Lio enters the theater where Galo is intently viewing the final moments of a movie. He carries a dark green broom in his hand and begins sweeping near the front of the room, dangerously close to blocking Galo’s view of the screen. The tufts of hair around Lio’s face sway with the movement of the broom, gentle splashes of light from the movie illuminating the tip of his nose and cheeks. If there had been any other customers in the theater that night, Galo would have thought Lio was being a bit rude. But since it was just him, he didn’t mind the other boy intruding near the end of the movie. Every few seconds Lio’s eyes would stray towards the screen, occasionally losing focus on his task. Once the credits start rolling, Lio straightens up and leans the broom across his body in relaxation. 

“Huh that guy really was annoying. Pleading for the girl not to leave him? Kinda pathetic if you ask me,” commenting on the ending of the romcom that had just finished. Galo lets out a surprised laugh.

“Well, he was a little annoying I suppose, but if you had seen the beginning of the movie, you would know why he was so sad that she would leave him like that!” Lio rolls his eyes and resumes his sweeping task. 

“I don’t think that would change my mind, honestly if someone acted like that frankly I wouldn’t want to stay with them either. I can’t really stand desperate people. If they aren’t willing to fend for themselves, how can you expect them to care for you too?” Galo thinks this over for a moment, almost understanding where Lio was coming from, but still a little perplexed at his point of view. He stands up and does a little stretch, raising his arms above his head.

“Well you have a point there, but I think it’s okay for people to be vulnerable around the people they care about. It means they can feel safe around that person. I guess if they are acting like that all the time, that’s a different thing.” Lio seems to understand, but he doesn’t keep the conversation up. It’s typical to reach a point in their conversations where Lio becomes silent, often after Galo begins bringing up deeper topics like this. It frustrates Galo sometimes that the other boy is so unwilling to share feelings he held below his surface, but he also knows it’s a lot to ask of someone he isn’t exactly close to. But Galo swears one day that he will get to understand Lio better. He has so many questions that he can’t ask. He also knows he has no business with trying to get to know this boy at the movie theater better, they have almost nothing in common. Yet something still draws Galo closer to him, like a moth to a flame. Maybe it’s the fact that they seem to not get along as well as Galo usually did with others, but somehow they still manage to keep each other intrigued. Galo enjoys this slow pace of getting to know someone. While it can be frustrating, it feels like a real connection he was growing, not just a superficial interaction between most people he met. 

Another night at the end of a comedy where the premise had been a debacle between two rich families and twins and love and reunion, Galo is surprised to see somewhat of a smile on Lio’s face after he had snuck in and watched the last few minutes instead of sweeping the aisles. 

“So you like Shakespeare?” Galo pipes up, probably barely audible over the awkward pop song playing as the credits. Lio looks offended, as if Galo would dare try and pinpoint an emotion on him. He starts sweeping a little hurriedly, pushing the discarded kernels of popcorn far away from his feet. 

“What? What makes you think something like that was enjoyable? Plus how was that even Shakespeare? Where was the ‘THEE, WHERE FOREART THOUGH, TO BE OR NOT TO BE’ bullshit?” Lio waves his arm around dramatically like an actor cheesing up to an audience. Galo snickers as he stuffs his last bit of popcorn into his mouth and stands up to do his usual post-movie stretch.” 

“Well it’s just basically the same story as Twelfth Night. I tend to get a little bored of seeing good ol’ Willy’s plots being used over and over again, but this one was kinda cool because they developed the characters of Maria and Toby a lot more than usual. It was pretty cool to see the development of their romance since usually they are just in the background or comic relief.” Lio seems still unamused by this, but Galo remembered the little lift in the corners of Lio’s mouth at the scene where the ending was revealed. 

“Yeah yeah, but it’s still so unrealistic. I mean who couldn’t tell the difference between the twins? It was so obvious. That wouldn’t happen in real life.” Lio flips his head around sarcastically as he talks, and Galo would have thought it was cute, if he didn’t find Lio’s view of movies so frustrating. 

“Y’know what suspension of disbelief is, yea?” He asks, always knowing that Lio’s jabs at movies were nothing personal, but had this guy ever seen a movie before? 

“Suspension of… what now?” As Lio moved through the aisles he shot glances at Galo, keeping up their conversation. Galo is worried he’s losing Lio’s interest, knowing it’s the end of the night and Lio doesn’t love having deep conversations the later it gets. 

“It’s kinda just the unspoken agreement between the audience and the media they are consuming that it isn’t real, so you just have fun watchin’ the thing, it’s pretty simple! Doesn’t matter if there’s talking dogs, cheesy romance, over the top action, or whatever, you know the thing you’re watching isn’t real, so therefore it’s more enjoyable!” At least that’s why Galo has such a good time watching movies, he understands that they aren’t real, but allows himself to get absorbed into it. 

Again, Lio appears to be indifferent about Galo’s opinion and finishes cleaning the theater. 

“Alright Mr. disbelief suspension, I believe it’s time for you to head to the lobby before I suspend you,” Lio’s tone of voice is playful as he uses his broom to first point towards the door and then towards Galo, as if he as a king waving a scepter and Galo was a mere peasant at his command. 

“Looks like we got a real Malvolio on our hands!” Obviously his reference was lost on Lio, judging by the raised eyebrow and his vacant expression. He knows this look, meaning he better get his butt in gear. “I’m goin!” He laughs as he passes Lio and Lio lightly smacks the handle of the broom across Galo’s lower back. “Hey! Watch where you’re aiming!” In his surprise, he knocks the corner of his hip on the trash can as he went to toss his popcorn bucket. He emerges from the theater door, rubbing his back and his hip with a pretend grimace. His gaze is met by Guiera who is just coming out of the bathroom, a bucket and mop in his hand. Immediately as he sees Lio follow Galo from the theater, his mouth twists into a devilish grin. 

“Whatcha two up to in there? Sounds like things are getting-“ He has no time to finish his statement as Lio has already dashed from behind Galo and gives him the same treatment, except he doesn’t hold back and a large WHACK is heard and Gueira drops the mop to clutch his side. 

“OW! The hell was that for!?” Gueira is half laughing, half cringing in pain from the blunt trauma that had been inflicted to his side. The look on Lio’s face is priceless as Galo tries not to smile, knowing full well Lio wasn’t afraid of taking it out on Galo again. “I was just joking!” It takes him a second to regain his composure and take the mop back into his hands. 

“Ya talk shit and get hit. Take note Galo,” he sends a wink in Galo’s direction, amethyst eye cascaded in his fluffy blonde eyelashes. He knows it’s supposed to be an ominous wink, but it’s cute as hell and Galo will definitely have trouble keeping out intrusive thoughts of Lio winking at him for the foreseeable future. 

These antics continue throughout Galo’s nights. The Lio-sneaking-into-the-theater-to-watch-the-last-five-minutes-of-a-movie antics, not the Lio-smacking-people-with-brooms antics, however Galo has realized that Lio is not afraid to brandish his broom whenever he felt threatened. Especially if Galo tries to make Lio look like he has bunny ears from the projector shadow again. Or if Galo mentions anything relating Lio and something being cute, or if Guiera or Meis ever tease Lio about Galo. Let’s face it, both of these antics happen quite a lot. Most of the nights end in playful banter about the ending of the movie, why Lio didn’t like it, why Galo thinks Lio should try and like anything and possibly someone getting smacked. 

Things progressed normally, until one night there is a particularly intense dramatic ending to a drama involving death, guilt, etc. Lio has actually slipped away when two people begin yelling over a debate about their child. It was unusual for Lio to leave, usually he stays throughout the whole last few minutes so he can find reasons to point out against Galo’s theories. He brushes it off, probably Lio had to use the restroom or something. 

It isn’t until a minute into the credits Lio returns silently and is sweeping the aisles again, Galo once again appreciates the cotton candy fluff atop his head gently waving with his motions. 

“Well that was an intense one! You really missed it. The actors were amazing!” He tries to get Lio’s attention by standing up quickly and waving his arm as he spoke. 

“Yeah? Did he get revenge and murder the bitch?” Galo’s eyes narrow.

“What? No he let her go. It was painful for both of them. You could tell it was difficult though.” Lio has his back turned to Galo as he sweeps, unusual for their conversations. 

“I think that he should have. That’s stupid,” he has a darker tone of voice as he dismisses Galo.

“Hey now, it wasn’t her fault! If you watched you would have-“

“But if his kid died because of actions relating to her, shouldn’t he have every right to punish her and anyone else supporting her?” Lio insists, turning to face Galo. His gaze is intense and Galo flinches, not expecting Lio to be this forceful.

“It’s sad and tragic, but nothing should excuse violence towards another person.” Galo could see the confusion on Lio’s face. It’s the first time Galo feels Lio is trying to understand his point of view. 

“How else should he act? Just let her live peacefully? Should he remind her every day that his son died? She should owe him now,” Lio’s tone of voice was rising and his breaths were becoming rapid.

“Hey man, don’t worry, she should be able to still live a normal life. He should have done something positive with his passionate feelings, like help child related organizations or somethin like that,” Galo tries to de-escalate by keeping the conversation light hearted. 

“Positive? But he died because of her! This isn’t some thing he can just forgive her for-“ 

“Whoa, Lio, it’s okay, it’s just a movie-“ 

“It’s not just-“ Lio’s breath hitches and he jumps to a standing position. By now the other audience members were glaring holes into Lio’s shaking frame.

Galo is lost for words as he fumbles with his keys in his pocket. They hold eye contact for a few excruciating seconds as Galo can sense a wall of panic deep within the other boy. It’s as if something has been broken that had just been covering his eyes. The violet shocks him and he feels something raw. The contact is broken and it feels like Lio is building something back up around him, a thick armor covering himself. Lio is turning away and before Galo can do or say a thing, he’s out of the theater and Galo still feels haunted by that vision of his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEA uh come see me on twitter @karupuri or @princessyamper I love you guys so much thank you for reading <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> THANK U FOR READING please feel free to leave con crit or suggestions I would love u forever


End file.
